Top Tips for a Perfect Halal Picnic

Egg mayo sandwiches… a picnic classic.  But what about a few other ideas to turn a long summer’s afternoon on the grass into a feast? Picnics can be last-minute, effortless affairs. ‘Even sandwiches might not make an appearance’, with ready-made offerings, humus and crisps seeming to offer all we need.  But picnics can also be more like a meal — dining al fresco — and they can be substantial meals at that! Just make sure you’re not too full to play with the kids or have a kickabout!

Leave the leaves alone and make bases out of chunky fruit and veg, beans, grains or carbs. Add onions, shallots or chives and a lashing of yoghurt to cooked new potatoes to make a potato salad, delicious cold; then give it some spice with turmeric or cumin seeds, and some colour with fresh coriander and beetroot.

Pasta salads also go down well.  Think about your bases. What about sweet potato, cauliflower or chickpeas?  Try lentils, rice and other grains. Eggs are also great for salads. Bring one to life with curry powder, lemon juice and sultanas, and transport it in an airtight container. Avoid additions to salads that can brown easily, like avocados.

Stock up on drumsticks and other cooked halal chicken items in mouthwatering marinades like Peri Peri, Red Thai, Southern Fried, Cajun or Tikka, like our sliced breasts, mini split sticks and skewers, or unmarinated chicken, golden or chargrilled.  Put them in salads, parathas, tortillas, or on an open sandwich. Our delicious lamb kofta meatballs are ideal for picnics, cooked at home, and wrapped in flatbreads, which you can carry separately in foil. Try with fresh mint leaves and red onions.  The Haloodies2Go range is ideal for picnics; tasty, healthy bites wrapped in foil.

There’s nothing worse than a soggy salad, or a leak in the picnic bag.  Take along any homemade dressings, yoghurts or mustards in old jars rather than dressing the dishes before you go.  Any other additions to the food that might cause it to become wet should be carried separately and added once you’re ready to eat.

Olives, chopped carrots, celery and radishes, gourds, spicy nuts… it’s much cheaper to prep these at home or buy bigger quantities from which to take what you want to the picnic, rather than buying ready-to-go picnic items.

Cold boxes and ice packs are vital to ensure food is kept as cool as possible, particularly meat.  Take each dish (or part of a dish) out as you come to eat it, rather than laying it all out in the sun.

Lastly, don’t forget a blanket and a few cushions!

If you have any ideas for a successful picnic, or any halal picnic-inspired recipes, let us know!